The Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, and the Governor of Enugu State, Peter Mbah, have traded words over allegations that the minister forged his university and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificates.
The controversy deepened on Monday after Nnaji’s media aide, Robert Ngwu, accused Governor Mbah of sponsoring a smear campaign to damage the minister’s image.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, Ngwu denied claims that his boss forged any certificates.
He said, “These allegations are politically motivated. All these sponsored events are being coordinated by Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State. The governor has made Nnaji the scapegoat for his problems.”
Ngwu alleged that the attacks were linked to Mbah’s political ambitions.
“The governor, who is reportedly planning to seek a second term, sees Chief Nnaji as a threat to his political future,” he claimed.
He also accused the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) of refusing to release Nnaji’s transcript despite a court order.
“He applied for his transcript to clear his name, but the university has kept his file locked up in the vice-chancellor’s office,” Ngwu said.
Ngwu dismissed reports of name discrepancies on the certificates, explaining that “Uchenna” and “Uchechukwu” mean the same thing in Igbo culture. He insisted that Nnaji graduated from UNN in 1985, citing a letter from the school’s registrar in December 2023 that confirmed his graduation.
However, a recent Premium Times investigation claimed otherwise. The report alleged that UNN disowned Nnaji’s degree certificate, stating that although he was admitted in 1981, he did not complete his studies. The university’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Simon Ortuanya, confirmed in a Freedom of Information reply that Nnaji was not a graduate of the institution.
This contradicted an earlier statement by the UNN registrar, who had confirmed Nnaji’s graduation but later withdrew her claim in a May 2025 letter, saying the school could not find his name in its 1985 graduation records.
The investigation also revealed that Nnaji admitted in a court affidavit that the university never issued him a degree certificate and that he “never collected one.”
Reacting to the accusations, the Enugu State Government dismissed Nnaji’s claims.
The state’s Director of Information, Chukwuemeka Nebo, said, “The honourable minister must carry his own cross and clear his name before Nigerians instead of dragging the government into his personal issues.”
Nebo criticized the minister for sending his aides to address the press instead of appearing personally.
“Why invite journalists and then run away? Who can tell his UNN story better than him?” he asked.
He also posed several questions to Nnaji, including how he obtained the certificate he presented to the Senate, why he applied to retake a failed course after claiming to have graduated, and why his NYSC discharge certificate carried irregular details.
“The questions are simple. If he truly has nothing to hide, he should come out and explain to Nigerians,” Nebo said.
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Meanwhile, Nnaji has filed a lawsuit at the Federal High Court to stop UNN and other institutions from “tampering” with his academic records. The case was heard on Monday, with Nnaji represented by Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Sebastian Hon.
The court case, ongoing media investigations, and the political war of words between Nnaji and Mbah have kept the controversy alive, raising questions about integrity and accountability in public office.